Road-grading machine



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

I (No Model.)

'R.-LONG.; ROAD GRADING MACHINE.

No; 352,198. Patented NW,v- 9,1886.

I N x emflm -\ial Essea Ihogrlpher, Wlbhingtcn. o. c.

' 'UNiT-ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

-RIOHARD LONG, OF IOWA CITY, IOWA.

RQAD -GRADlNG MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 352,198, dated November 9, 1886.

Application filed March 8, 1886.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RICHARD Lose, a citizen of the United- States 'of America, and a resident of Iowa City, in the county of Johnson and State oflowa, have invented a Road Grading Machine, of which the following is a specification.

Myobject is to plow. up ground at the sides of a road and carry and distribute the loose soil toward the center by means of machinery as rapidly asathe machine is advanced, to

round up the center ofethe road, and to save much of the time, labor, and expenseincident to plowing, shoveling, and scraping groundin making'roads.

My invention consists in the. construction and combination of a carriage, a steering device, a plow-adjusting mechanism, a rotating carrier and distributer, a self-adjusting frame to support the rotating carrier and distributer, andan adjustable scraper, as herein.- after set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a top view, and Fig. 2 a side view, of the complete machine, and Fig. 3 a transverse section of the rotating carrier and distribuier suspended from the'carriageframe by means of the self-adj usting frame and roll-- ers.

A represents a wooden beam that may vary in size as desired.

' A is a cross-piece fitted to the center of the beam A, and rigidly fixed thereto by means of bolts and braces, or in any suitable way -to produce a rigid carriageframe of T shape.

B B are Wheel-bearers, preferably made complete in one piece, of cast-iron, swiveled to the ends of the beam A by means of bearings formed in or fixed thereto.

B are traction-wheels secured in the lower bifurcated-ends of the bearers by means of axles in a common way.

0 is a reach hinged to the end of the crosspiece A, to extend forward at right angles therefrom and parallel with the front end of the beam A.

C is a right-angled frame suspended from D is a brace extending fromthe front end of Serial No. 194,462. (No model.)

the beam A to the front end of the frame 0. D is a brace extending-fron1 the front end of the same frame to the central portion of the cross-piece A These braces aid in retaining the front portion of the frame 0 parallel with the reach 0, so that the front end of the frame and front end of the reach will jointly serve as hounds in connecting the pole to the complete carriage.

F is a pole, having a cross-piece, F, at its rear end, hinged to the front ends of the parallel parts 0 and O? in such a manner thatthe -cross -piece F Will project horizontally outward and at right anglesfrom the front end of the reach 0, to support acaster-wheel, G, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

B are sprocket-wheels formed on or fixed to the wheel-bearers ,B, to extend horizontally under the beam A.

H is a rotating shaft in bearingsfixed to the cross-piece A It has a pinion, H, fixed to its inner end, and a crank, H at its outer end.

J is a metal bearing fixed to the side and center of the beam A, to retain a sliding rack, J, that rests upon the pinion H fixed to the opposite ends of the rack, are passed around the sprocket-wheels in opposite directions, and connected by means of a rod that is passed diagonally through a bore in the cross-piece A under the beam A, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, in such a manner that whenthe shaft H is rotated the pinion will move the rack J 2 longitudinally to pull the chains in opposite directions, so-that the chains will, by means of thesprocket-wheels, turn the wheel-bearersB and traction-wheels B in opposite directions, as required, to deflect the complete machine to the right or left from a straight line of advance.

K is the beam of a plow pivoted in a metal Chains J bearer, K", that is fixed to the end of the crossplow-beam, and pivoted to the rear end and 7 corner of the frame 0 in such a manner that the front end'of the plow-beam can be raised and lowered.

L is a shaft in a bearing formed in or fixed to-the reach 0. It has a gear-wheel, L fixed to the outer end and a lever-handle, L, to the inner end.

M is a rack pivoted to the plow-beam K at i its lower end, to extend vertically and engage the gear-wheel L in such a manner that when the shaft L is rocked the rack will be moved longitudinally by means of the gear-wheel L, as required, to raise or lower the front end of the plow-beam for the purpose of governing the depth of the plow. The front end of the plow-beam is flexibly connected with the crosspicce F by means of a staple and link.

N is the rim of my rotating carrier and distributer, preferably made in sections of plate steel riveted together. It has an annular flange, N", extending outward from its lower edge, and a corresponding flange, N", extending inward from its top edge.

1? is a circular platform, preferably made of Sheetstce], fitted upon the flange N,and fixed thereto by riveting, or in any suitable way.

I? is a hub rigidly connected with the rim N by means of radial spokes 1?, cast integral with the hub and rim, or in any suitable way.

R is a metal plate fixed against the bottom of the hinged frame 0*,to serve as a bearing for the axle R that is extended up through the frame and down through the hub to suspend the hub and complete the rotating carrier.

B is a roller-bearer on the end of the plate It. Perforated ears S extend in opposite directions from the plate R.

S is a brace provided with apin a-t'its rear end, which pin enters the front perforated ear. The front end of the brace is fixed to the front portion of the frame 0'.

No. 1 is a roller placed loosely on a journal fixed to the corner of the frame (1 in such a manner that it will be continually in contact with the top surface of the flange N of the rim N'. No. 2 is a corresponding roller on the bearer Rflto engage the under side of the same flange. The two rollers thus combined with the rotating carrier keep it in balance on its inclined axle/to prevent friction and facilitate its rotary motion.

T is a scraper composed of a flat metal plate fixed to the end of aframe, T'flto project down upon the top surface of the platform P of the rotating carrier,to push off loose soil as the carrier revolves. 4

T is an arm extending from the frame T", pivoted to the perforated ear S, extending rearward from the end of the plate R in such a manner that the scraper can be adjusted relative to the frame 0 and the carrier, as required, to regulate the pushing off of the loose soil from the platformof the carrier at different distances from the plow.

The pivoted arm T,carrying the scraper, is secured to the perforated ear S by means of a screw-threaded bolt and nut in such a nanner that the nut can be drawn tight to rigidly clamp the arm fast in any position or angleit may be set relative to the line of advance.

X represents a drivers seat fixed to the carriage-frame.

In the practical use of my invention Ihitch horses to it by means of the tongue and a double-tree, and then advance it along the side of a. road to plow ground loose in a common way. As the plow is advanced the loose ground is thrown from the mold-board of the plow direct upon the circular platform of the inclined rotating carrier, and the outer edge of the plat form rests and moves upon the surface of the road in a line parallel with the furrow made by the plow, and close to the plow, in such a manner that it will be actuated by the friction upon the ground to rotate upon its axis and carry the soil away from the plow to let it drop off between the plow and the scraper, as required, to distribute it overthe surface of the road. By thus advancing the machine successively at the opposite sides of the road and in opposite directions the ground at the sides will be loosened and carried and distributed to the center of the road by the operation of the machine, and the road graded.

I claim as my invention- 1. The carriage-frame composed of the beam A, cross-piece A", the pivoted bearers 13, carrying-wheels B", the hinged frame 0, braces D D the reach C, tongue F F, the casterwheel G, and steering mechanism, for the pur-.

poses specified.

2. The shaft H, having a pinion on its inner end and a crank-han'dlc at its opposite end, a sliding rack, J", ropes or chains J and the sprocket-wheels 13, arranged and combined with a tractable carriage, and adapted to direct the same, substantially as shown and described, for the purposes stated.

3. A tractable carriage composed ofa straight beam having traction-wheels under its ends,

a oross-piece extending laterally from thecentral part of the straight beam and having a plow suspended from its free end, a rightangled frame hinged to the opposite end of the cross-piece and carrying a rotating groundcarrier in an inclined position at the side of the suspended plow, a reach hinged to the free end of the cross-piece to extend forward over the suspended plow-beam, a tongue having a cross-piece journaled to the front end of the reach and pivoted to the front end of the right-angled frame and supported upon a caster-wheel, arranged and combined to operate in the manner set forth, for the purposes stated.

4. The carrier composed of the rim N, having flanges N and N", the circular platform P, the hub P and spokes I, supported upon rollers Nos. 1 and 2, for the purposes stated.

5. A rotating carrier having a circular platform extending outward from its bottom edge, and an annular flange extending inward from its top edge, in combination with an inclined frame hinged to a tractable carriage, and rollers carried by the incline frame to engage the annular flange at the opposite sides of the rim, one on the top surface and the other the bottom, to operate in the manner set forth, for the purposes stated.

6. The hinged frameC the plate It, the

roller-bearer R the axle R, the rollers Nos. 1 and 2, and the rotating carrier composed of the rim N,having flanges N and N a circular platform, 1?,ahub, P and spokes P constructed, arranged, and combined to operate in the manner set forth. a

7 A r0ad-grading machine composed of the following elements, to Wit: a rigid T-shaped or three-armed frame having traction-wheels swiveled to two of its corners, an auxiliary right-angled frame hinged'to the center of the main frame, a reach hinged to the free end and lateral extension of the main frame, a pole or tongue journaled or pivoted to the front end of the reach and the front end of the auxiliary hinged frame, a caster-Wheel under the front end of the reach and rear portion of the tongue, a

plow suspended under the free end of thelateral 7 .form of the rotating carrier, and mechanism for steering the machine, to operatein the manner set forth.

RICHARD LONG.

WVitnesses:

W. S. THOMAS, W. D. LIOHTY. 

